Over 180,000 hectares of new national park protections around Shark Bay

A new agreement signed this week has expanded the protections for Shark Bay with the addition of 183,000 hectares of national parks and reserves.

An Indigenous Land Use Agreement signed by the State Government and Malgana Aboriginal Corporation will see a new era of conservation management for the world-renowned location.

Environment Minister Reece Whitby said the new agreement will boost tourism as well as provide more employment opportunities in regional WA.

“Expanding protections for Shark Bay will mean more authentic cultural experiences, two-way knowledge exchanges, and dozens of employment opportunities in regional WA,” Mr Whitby said.

“It also shows how our Government’s investment in Plan for Our Parks is protecting and celebrating tourism icons that draw tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world every year.”

Gathaagudu, as it is known in the Malgana language, will be part of the newly proposed Malgana Conservation Estate.

The estate will be jointly managed by Traditional Owners and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

Across the 183,000 hectares of new conservation areas is the Yaringa and Pimbee nature reserves, Edel Land National Park and the Malgana portion of Nanga National Park.

“The signing of this ILUA signifies the continuation of a long but good journey between Malgana Aboriginal Corporation and DBCA,” Malgana Joint Management Body Chair Ben Bellottie said.

“I’m very happy to see young Malgana people caring for Malgana Country and I’m excited for the future opportunities.

Joint management arrangements will also be extended over existing national parks including Dirk Hartog Island and Francois Peron, and conservation parks at Monkey Mia and Shell Beach.

The new Malgana Conservation Estate is part of the Plan for Our Parks which has seen the State Government secure an additional five million hectares of new parks and conservation reserves throughout Western Australia.

Image Credit: Supplied